–Event Description–
Unless you have been living under a rock or on another planet, you will have seen or heard about Voguing, whether in Madonna’s or more recently in FKA Twigs’ artistic music videos; at their live concerts; or simply witnessing it in a club. It might be just a flamboyant dance to the outsider’s eye, but Voguing is only a small part of the LGBTQ+ Ballroom subculture which has been going for over 4 decades. This event is an exploration of what Ballroom is, from the history to its incarnation today. The panelists will also touch on their own personal experiences within Ballroom, Voguing and coming up in the LGBTQ+ community, bridging and connecting the gap from the older generation to the current generation.

Entry ticket is £12, now available to purchase via PayPal and card payments via the below link. You can pay by card without a PayPal account by clicking on ‘Create An Account’, which will take you to a separate screen that allows you to enter your card details, just skip creating the PayPal account part at the bottom:

*****SPECIAL £10 TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BOUGHT AN EARLY BIRD TICKET TO THE ‘ROYAL CROWN BALL!! FOR FURTHER INFO PLEASE EMAIL houseofmagnifique@gmail.com WITH EMAIL TITLE ‘£10 HISTORY TALK OFFER’*****

Capacity is very limited so make sure you get your ticket to avoid disappointment.

–Event Programming–

Introduction & Film Screening of ‘En Vogue’
The event will kick off with the screening of the short film ‘En Vogue’, made by director and Howard University Film MFA Alumna, Jenn Nkiru, and filmed with members from the New York City Ballroom scene.

Part 1: What is Ballroom culture?
We will explore the history of the LGBTQ+ Ballroom culture in 70s New York City, how Ballroom houses were formed and how each house was structured. We will also look at the crossover from underground into the mainstream and how this visibility impacted the culture on the whole.

Part 2: The Royal Iconic International House of Magnifique – An Introduction.
This section is about the story of the House of Magnifique since its founding in 1987, as recounted by the NYC Overall Mother Icon Princess Magnifique; and Overall Mother of the European Chapters, divaD Magnifique.

Part 3: UK Ballroom Scene
How did the Ballroom scene develop in the UK? Panellist Tamsier Aviance and Roy Brown will help us understand the Ballroom scene when it reached the UK shores in the 90s, also a look at how the culture developed outside of the US.

Part 4: Ballroom Today
We have seen a resurgence of Voguing back into mainstream over 25 years since the release of Madonna’s ‘Vogue’, the track which propelled the danceform into mainstream commercial conscious, through videos by artists such as FKA Twigs and the increase use of Voguing in the media. We will examine how the LGBTQ Ballroom scene outside of the US is flourshing. Our panellist Munroe Bergdorf will help us understand why the need for the Ballroom culture still persist in the LGBTQ community, despite progress in the form of same-sex marriage legalisation and recognition of Trans rights in mainstream heterosexual/cisgender society.

Part 5: Q&A
Those who attend the panel discussion will have an opportunity to ask the panellist questions about the Ballroom culture and the LGBTQ+ community.